A conventional hospital bed disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4 987 623 has a transfer board which can be moved between a retracted position disposed lower than a patient support surface on the bed and an operational position in which it is disposed in the region of an edge portion of the patient support surface and is oriented so that a support surface thereon is facing upwardly and is at approximately the same level as the patient support surface. When the bed is placed adjacent another bed, an outer edge of the transfer board can be placed on the mattress of the other bed and thus provide a surface across which a patient can be conveniently slid in order to effect a bed-to-bed transfer of the patient. This known transfer board mechanism has proved entirely satisfactory for its intended purpose of effecting bed-to-bed patient transfers. However, it has not been entirely satisfactory with regard to certain other hospital procedures.
First, when the transfer board is being used for patient transfers, the outer edge of the board is supported by the mattress of an adjacent bed. However, the transfer board has also been found useful for purposes other than patient transfers. For example, when the bed having the transfer board is not adjacent another bed, the transfer board can still be useful in its operational position for purposes such as supporting a patient's arm while a wound in the arm is sutured. However, because the outer edge of the transfer board is not supported, it has been found that there is some tendency for the outer edge portion of the transfer board to flex downwardly in response to downward forces applied to it during suturing or other procedures. Obviously, this makes it difficult to quickly and neatly perform a procedure such as suturing. It is not possible to provide a fixed stationary support for the outer edge of the transfer board, because it would be a hazardous outward projection when the transfer board is in its retracted position and because it would prevent two beds from being positioned closely adjacent each other in order to use the transfer board for its primary purpose of a bed-to-bed patient transfer.
Moreover, conventional fluoroscopy procedures utilize equipment having a first portion which is laterally inserted into the region beneath the litter supporting the patient and a second portion which is laterally moved to a position above the patient on the litter. As to the known transfer board mechanism disclosed in above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4 987 623, when the transfer board is in its retracted position the transfer board and its support mechanism are positioned to one side of and lower than the patient litter, and tend to obstruct the lateral insertion of conventional fluoroscopy equipment beneath the patient litter. Although it is not impossible to perform fluoroscopy procedures, it is definitely inconvenient.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a support arrangement which can be selectively used to support an outer edge portion of a transfer board when the board is being used in its operational position for purposes other than bed-to-bed patient transfers.
A further object of the invention is to provide such a support arrangement which can move to a retracted position when physically bumped in order to prevent injury or damage to persons or equipment.
It is a further object to provide a holding arrangement which can be selectively actuated to maintain a transfer board in a position which permits fluoroscopy procedures to be easily and quickly performed without interference from the transfer board or its support mechanism.
A further object is to provide such a support arrangement and holding arrangement which are each relatively simple and inexpensive in design, but which have long useful lifetimes with little or no need for maintenance.
A further object is to provide such a support arrangement and holding arrangement which are substantially self-contained and do not require redesign of the basic transfer board mechanism, so that both the support arrangement and holding arrangement can be retrofit to existing beds which have transfer boards.